Why it works: Mustard and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the base
Beat the eggs until light.
Combine all ingredients and cook over hot water, stirring constantly.
As soon as it begins to thicken, remove from heat.
Finish
When cool, thin with cream or milk, or use oil and heat well.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Mustard + walnuttop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together849 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Butter + walnuttop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,832 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Egg proteins set as they heat, thickening the dressing into a creamy body.
- Vinegar
- Provides the sharp acidity that defines the dressing's flavour.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp flavour and helps hold the dressing together as an emulsion.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the acidity of the vinegar.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother, rounder mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Remove from heat as soon as it begins to thicken. Egg proteins set quickly over heat. If the mixture stays on the heat after it starts to thicken, the eggs can overcook and curdle, leaving a grainy dressing instead of a smooth one.
Swap the walnut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, mustard, vinegar, sugar, butter):
- Almondfits about as well
- Sesamefits about as well
- Chestnutfits about as well
- Walnutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, mustard, vinegar, sugar, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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